Flick reportedly tests Frenkie de Jong at centre-back for Barcelona

A possible defensive role raises a Barcelona selection question

Frenkie de Jong had reportedly been tested at centre-back in training by Hansi Flick as the midfielder worked towards a return to first-team action after a knee injury. The report framed a switch as a possibility rather than a confirmed change of position.

The argument for experimenting with De Jong is that Barcelona have a range of midfield options but fewer natural choices in central defence. The article also pointed to Flick’s previous positional changes involving Raphinha, Xavi Espart, Eric Garcia and Gerard Martin as examples of his willingness to adapt players’ roles.

Its central question was whether De Jong should be reinvented as a centre-back; it did not report that Flick had settled on the move for matches.